Life as a Billionaire's Daughter
by Starling Strider
Summary: Gypsy Stark has been kidnapped by and saved from the God of Mischief. Now she's living a normal life. Well, as normal a life as you can live when your family is made up of the Avengers. She loves her life though. You know, when her mind isn't torturing her with Loki.
1. Shopping

A couple of months ago if you had told Gypsy she would be going shopping for a party dress with the Avengers and Pepper Potts she would have hit you over the head for being stupid. Now if you told her she'd say something along the lines of "Well no duh that's what I'm doing right now." Tony was throwing a party in an attempt to raise money to fix up D.C. (not to mention a bunch of other places) and had insisted that everyone in the house attend. Which included Gypsy.

Not that Gypsy had anything against parties. Normally she'd be pumped and ready to freak out wealthy people but this was also going to be her "coming out" party as her dad so loved to call it. He'd be officially introducing her as his daughter and she'd have to talk to paparazzi. Just the idea of her face being plastered across the news for everyone to see freaked her out. What if she looked awful? Also, there was a lot of expectations that came with being the daughter of the infamous Tony Stark. What if she didn't live up to those expectations. When she admitted her fears to her dad he had told her casually but sincerely that it didn't matter if she didn't live up to their expectations because he loved her either way. Which of course made Gypsy feel a hell of a lot better till she saw yet another story speculating about Gypsy on the news.

"Gypsy stop dragging your feet!" Pepper said though she was grinning. Gypsy looked up from the ground, pulling herself out of her worried thoughts, and smiled slightly at her soon to be step mom. Pepper had been looking forward to this shopping trip for weeks since Tony had given her permission to help dress everyone. Not a single person had a choice on what they were buying, not even Tony.

"I'm doing it on purpose Pep." Gypsy said, picking up her pace a little. "I'm trying to delay the inevitable." She said.

Clint slung a brotherly arm around her shoulders. "Aw but you'll look so cute in a dress! You'll actually look like a girl!" He said jokingly.

Gypsy shoved Clint away with a grin. "Shut up bird brain. I look fabulous all the time." She said, striking a jokingly vain pose as she did. Clint snorted in mock disbelief while everyone else laughed. Gypsy grinned for a minute but then it slipped into a childish pout. "I still don't understand why I have to wear a dress though. Or why we had to come all the way to Italy to get one." She said.

Tony stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around with a lazy smile. He didn't want to be here anymore than Gypsy but he _had_ given Pepper permission to pick out their clothes and she had always had a thing for foreign designs. Natasha and Pepper had already gotten very beautiful dresses in Paris, gorgeous things that would make them stand out. Clint had gotten a simple but charming tuxedo there as well mostly because he looked better in them than in fancy suits. Pepper wanted the rest of them to be in Italian flair though. She wanted Bruce and Steve to really stick out from the crowd for once and feel confident. She also wanted Tony and Gypsy to match somewhat and since Tony always looked best in Italian suits Gypsy had to get an Italian dress.

"You have to wear a dress because it's a formal party and you had to come all the way to Italy because Pepper said so and you were too scared to argue." Tony said, shooting his daughter a smile.

"I'm not scared of her." Gypsy said immediately. Pepper gave her a mocking evil look that Gypsy playfully shrunk away. "Okay, maybe a little." Gypsy said jokingly, earning another laugh from her crazy family.

It took them about five minutes to get to the store Pepper had in mind. It was big and looked about as fancy as a ballroom. Gypsy groaned and placed herself closer to Steve, locking hands with him where her dad couldn't see. The super soldier smiled at her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they followed Pepper and the others into the store. Pepper's eyes immediately fell on three suits she liked and she ordered each boy to go try them on. Which meant Steve had to leave Gypsy.

Natasha noticed the pout on Gypsy's face as she watched her boyfriend got to the changing rooms and walked over to the girl, barely containing a smile. "You don't have to look so grumpy you know." Natasha said teasingly. Gypsy didn't pay any attention to her but the Russian knew she was listening. "He'll be right back, it's not the end of the world." She told the younger girl. Gypsy smiled at that and playfully shoved the redhead. Natasha had opened up quite a bit to Gypsy ever since Clint admitted to telling Gypsy about his time under Loki's spell. If Clint trusted the girl that much then Natasha thought she might as well try to trust her that much too and she did. For the most part. She would forever be considered in Natasha's mind as her little sister though she still hadn't told the girl about her life before S.H.I.E.L.D. Natasha didn't plan to tell her about it either. It was just too sad.

"Gypsy!" Pepper called out. Somehow the woman had made it all the way to the back of the store without them noticing.

"I'm going to die." Gypsy said mournfully before walking towards the back of the store, leaving a smirking Natasha behind her.

Clint went over to Natasha's side, grinning at the sorrowful looking Gypsy as she wandered towards Pepper. "She having fun yet?" He asked. Natasha smiled and shook her head. "Not surprising. She isn't the dressy type." Clint said cheerfully.

Natasha shrugged a little but she had a knowing look in her eyes. "Every girl likes to look nice even if they pretend they don't." She said when Clint gave her a questioning look. "Trust me, Gypsy will come out grinning and strutting." She said.

Sure enough, when Gypsy came back she was doing just that. She looked uncomfortable but she was still smiling a little and walking like a runway model. The dress she had on was red and formfitting. She looked like what Tony would if he was a girl in that dress. "How do I look?" Gypsy asked, spinning like a model so they could see all angles of her.

"Like a ketchup bottle." Clint said immediately, grinning. Natasha hit him upside the head for that and he laughed, rubbing the spot she hit. "You look nice Roses." He admitted grudgingly.

Gypsy grinned then looked down at the dress, a thoughtful look on her face. "It's not really my style though is it? I mean, it is but it just...isn't. You know?" She said somewhat regretfully. It was a very pretty dress and she did look amazing in it but she just felt it didn't look like she really belonged in it. Pepper had had a look on her face that said that but she sent her to show off in front of the assassins anyways just to make sure it wasn't just her who thought so.

Natasha smiled but shook her head. "Not that one." She said simply.

Gypsy nodded and walked back towards Pepper who already had three different dresses picked out for Gypsy to try on. While Gypsy had been talking she had sent the boys back to the changing rooms to try on some different suits, displeased with the first three. Natasha thought Pepper was a tad OCD when it came to fashion while Clint just thought he was a bit insane. He was about to say that too when he noticed a group of boys standing in the store watching Gypsy as she walked off. They seemed to be there to pick out suits but they were idling around eyeing the girls trying on designer dresses. Clint felt himself getting protective of Gypsy and Natasha sensed it. She followed his eyes to the group of boys checking out Gypsy and sighed.

"Clint they're just checking her out. You can't kill them for that." Natasha told him. Clint mumbled something unintelligible but nodded reluctantly, still glaring at the boys.

Bruce came over a few minutes later looking slightly frazzled and ready to go home. "Pepper liked the second suit." He told the assassins when he reached them. The two nodded, eyeing the suit Pepper was handing over to a cashier to hold onto. It would look great on Bruce and draw him into focus a little, something he was uncomfortable with but everyone lovingly wanted him to get over. "I suggested that I pay for it." Bruce said regretfully. The assassins winced and shot Bruce compassionate looks. Pepper's threatening was scarier than having a gun pointed at your head. She was so sweet while she said something threatening and she'd grin away like it was nothing.

"We'll be adding that to the list of dumb things Bruce did." Clint said with a slight smile.

Bruce gave the assassin a confused look. "There's a list?" He asked, sounding more intrigued and confused than hurt.

"It's a small one." Gypsy said as she approached them. They all turned to look at her to see she was wearing a sleek purple dress with barely any back and a very low cut front. "It consists of the time you laughed so hard milk came out of your nose and the time you let Dummy out of the lab." Gypsy said with a cheerful smile.

"In my defense the milk was your father's fault." Bruce said, smiling slightly. He was trying extremely hard not to go into uncle mode and demand she find a more conservative dress. Clint was trying not to say anything too, especially when he noticed the group of boys eyeing her again. "Also, how was I supposed to know Dummy would attack someone when I let him out? Who gave him that fire extinguisher anyways?" Bruce said.

"Dad told me he did when he was first building the Iron Man suit. Apparently the AI never gave it up." Gypsy said, thinking fondly of the stupid robot back home. He brought her chocolate milk sometimes when she was in the lab with her dad and Bruce. He was adorable, like a puppy. "So how about this one Nat?" Gypsy asked, placing her hands gently on her hips.

Before Natasha could answer one of the boys Clint was glaring at wolf whistled at Gypsy. The boys started calling out comments to her in Italian, thinking that none of the group would understand so they could say whatever they wanted. Unfortunately for them Clint and Natasha spoke fluent Italian. "Gyp, go change into a different dress before your uncle and brother have a fit." Natasha said calmly as Clint slowly stalked over to the group of boys. Gypsy nodded and walked back towards Pepper and the dressing rooms, going slowly so that when Clint reached the boys she got a clear view of him socking the biggest one in the nose.

Clint had the whole group of boys running out of the store by the time Tony and Steve showed back up, both having gotten their suits. "What was that all about?" Tony asked as he watched Clint storm back over to the group still muttering away in Italian.

Natasha hit Clint upside the head when she heard a not so nice word in Italian slip from his lips. "It was nothing Tony. Clint just decided to be an idiot and get into a fight." She lied. Neither Clint nor Bruce decided to correct her, knowing exactly how Tony would react if he knew the truth. He'd go after those boys immediately and beat them himself.

"What, did they insult his medieval weapons or something?" Tony asked jokingly. Clint shot him an annoyed look, his weapons were not medieval. His arrows could explode for God's sake! "Oh don't look so pouty Legolas. It was only a joke." Tony said, laughing a little.

Gypsy came back out right then in a black dress with a bunch of frills. She looked miserable in it and it made them all think she was going to a very fancy funeral. They told her immediately to go try on something else which she smiled at and practically ran back to Pepper who was starting to look a little annoyed. Gypsy was a hard one to buy a dress for. She made the girl try on several more dresses that varied in color and style. Finally though Pepper found the perfect one and everyone instantly knew it too when Gypsy came walking confidentially over to them, looking completely at ease in the dress.

The dress reminded Gypsy somewhat of ancient Roman fashion. For the most part it was a dark turquoise except for one part that seemed almost like a toga. It was a greenish blue that reminded Gypsy of the ocean and had gorgeous golden flowers embroidered on the surface. It was apart of the dress itself but it almost seemed like it wasn't. Some of it was attached to a golden belt like thing that wrapped around Gypsy's waist and one of her shoulders. It seemed to be held on by a large golden brooch resting at the center of her chest. It looked like a decoration, the belt and the almost toga, but it wasn't which just made the dress seem interesting. It was sleek and elegant and yet strange, almost unapproachable. It stood out and was a beautiful difference from what the other women at the party would be wearing. It was a perfect dress for Gypsy. **(I'm not the best as describing dresses so anyone who wants to see the dress go to aleixpress. come/ item-img/ high-qulity-Italian-design-evening-dress-qy640/ take out all the spaces I added in to use the link)**

"So I'm thinking this one." Gypsy said, twirling around in the dress. "Not that I have any say in it but I'm pretty sure Pepper thinks this ones it." She added quickly, shooting the ginger standing nearby a smile. Pepper nodded and Gypsy grinned wildly, glad she was getting this dress. She looked freakin' awesome in it and she felt great in it too, like a model.

"It's definitely a Stark kind of dress." Tony said approvingly. Gypsy grinned even wider at that which of course made everyone else smile. It was still funny to most of the team how much the relationship between the two Starks had changed so much. "Now go change back into regular clothes so we can get the heck out of here." Tony said. Gypsy nodded agreeingly and practically ran back to the changing room, tripping a little as she did since she was so unused to the confines of a dress. Tony and Pepper followed after her, Pepper lovingly telling Tony shopping was not that bad.

Clint was by Steve the second Tony was out of earshot. "So Spangles, what's your opinion of the dress?" He asked, his tone teasing but his eyes telling the super soldier to answer very carefully.

Steve shifted awkwardly, not wanting to answer Clint but knowing he had to. "She looked beautiful." He mumbled awkwardly though that was a massive understatement. She had looked absolutely stunning. The dress had hugged her curves in a way that made them noticeable but not so much that it was the main feature. She'd looked regal in that dress. Regal and intimidating like a lion. Steve's face had flushed red when he saw her and there was still a light tint of pink in his cheeks even though she wasn't there anymore.

"A safe answer. Good job Cap." Natasha said with a smile. Steve's cheeks turned bright red and Natasha chuckled lightly, amused by how easy it was to embarrass the super soldier. "I don't blame you Cap. Any other answer and Clint would have punched you." The Russian said cheerfully.

"Yeah, I would have." Clint admitted, sounding disappointed that he didn't get to.

Five minutes later the Avengers were practically running out of the store, shouting about how they were so glad the shopping was over. Pepper gave them a calm speech about enjoying the finer things in life as they hailed down a couple of taxis, the suits and the dress held protectively in her arms as she did. The team and Gypsy quickly apologized to the ginger, not wanting to anger her. A terrifyingly sweet Pepper was scary but a terrifyingly sweet pregnant Pepper was downright horrifying. Lucky for them though her anger was gone by the time they reached the airport and boarded Tony's oh so famous private jet.

"I can't wait to get home. I missed it today." Gypsy said, plopping down in one of the very comfortable seats. The others nodded in agreement as they took their own seats, already feeling too tired to party.

"Well knowing you guys you'll sleep fifteen hours once we get home so you'll only have about three and a half hours to enjoy it before we get back on the jet again." Pepper said, already doing the math in her head. She didn't notice how she was tracing patterns on her swollen stomach but everyone else did and they smiled despite the news she was giving them. Pepper was very lucky she'd hit that time when flying pregnant was okay. It wouldn't last long of course but still. "The party starts at eight thirty but we won't be arriving till nine since our host," Pepper gave Tony a small smile," likes to arrive fashionably late. Since we'll be leaving at three and arriving in New York at eight anyways that gives us thirty minutes to get to the party during which time we'll be adding small touchups to your looks. Then we'll spend thirty minutes with the paparazzi before heading to the actual party which will end sometime at midnight."

"So we're staying in New York for the night?" Gypsy guessed, sounding a tad bit sad.

Pepper gave the young girl a smile. "Just for the night and you'll love the place we'll be staying at." She assured her. Tony grinned wildly at that, already thinking about how he was going to impress the team with Stark Towers.


	2. The Party

Gypsy drummed her fingers nervously on her knees, looking out the tinted windows of the limo for any sign of paparazzi. Tony noticed his daughter's nervousness and smiled at her. "Stop worrying Gypsy. You'll do great." He told her reassuringly. Gypsy nodded absently though she didn't look convinced. She grabbed her bracelet and started twisting it around her wrist, the disguised tracers shining somewhat in the light. Tony had insisted she wear it just in case and she didn't protest. Having it made her feel better. "Seriously, stop. Just act like yourself and they'll fall in love with you." Tony told her.

"Yeah because who wouldn't love annoying little Metallica?" Clint asked jokingly. Gypsy shot him an annoyed look but didn't say anything in retaliation. She was too nervous to think up anything good.

"I'd be nicer if I were you Clint." Natasha said, examining her fingernails with boredom. "Once all this is over Gypsy will be back in her regular mood and I'm sure she'll be extremely eager to get back at you." She said with terrifying casualness. Clint instantly shut up, shooting Gypsy a wary look that she just managed to smile at.

Steve looked out the window, spotting the huge building they were heading towards and the massive crowd of reporters standing on either side of the entrance. Being in the limelight didn't bother him, after doing so many shows back in the old days he was used to it, but he knew how entering the limelight felt. His first time on stage he'd felt like running and hiding so he knew exactly how Gypsy was feeling then. He wanted to take her hand and tell her that he'd been right there for her the entire time but he couldn't. Gypsy was still insisting that they keep their relationship a secret. He hated it but there was no way he was going to argue with Gypsy. At least not tonight.

The limo rolled to a stop in front of the building and, naturally, Tony was the first one out. He paid no attention to the dozens of reporters shouting for his attention as he helped Pepper out of the limo. She looked gorgeous in her magnificent purple dress, her baby bump just barely hidden. Tony didn't want her pregnancy announced until after the wedding. It was his little way of keeping her good reputation intact. Gypsy smiled a little as she watched them, happiness buzzing inside her. She couldn't wait till they got married and Gypsy could talk about how excited she was for a baby sibling in public.

Clint and Natasha were the next two out of the limo, both looking stoic and ready for a fight even in their fancy clothing. Natasha's eyes roamed over the paparazzi with disgust while Clint waved and shot winks at the pretty female reporters. Bruce got out next and the master assassins immediately moved so that they were subtly blocking him from view. Steve waved politely when he got out of the limo and smiled somewhat awkwardly when people took pictures of him. Still, even with all the Avengers out of the limo the paparazzi still noticed Gypsy slowly climbing out. Cameras flashed like crazy and Gypsy immediately threw on a mask of carefree confidence to keep herself from jumping right back into the limo. She smiled at the paparazzi in a completely at ease way and slowly joined her dad at his side, moving with a gracefulness she didn't know she possessed.

"Mister Stark!" A pretty blonde reporter called out, waving at him with a way too happy smile.

"Christine Everhart. The last fling your dad ever had." Pepper whispered to Gypsy as they walked over to the blonde woman. There was a distinct dislike in Pepper's tone and Gypsy nearly smiled at the ginger's jealousy.

"Mister Stark, do you care to introduce the young lady beside you?" Christine asked, shooting Gypsy a not so nice look.

Tony grinned despite his dislike for the woman and placed an arm around Gypsy's shoulders. "This young lady is my incredibly talented daughter, Gypsy Stark." He said proudly. Gypsy grinned like crazy at that, her heart soaring like it did every time he claimed her as his daughter.

"How old are you Gypsy?" Christine asked.

"I prefer being called Miss Stark by people outside the family." Gypsy told the reporter, giving her a pointed look. She didn't want to be on a first name basis with this particular woman. "And I'm eighteen." She added carelessly, as if it was no big deal that she was legally an adult.

"So you're eighteen and Mister Stark is only just now claiming you?" Christine asked.

Gypsy's smile turned angry and her eyes shined with warning. "My dad actually had no clue about me until I came to meet him. My mom never told him." She said with a surprisingly cheerful voice. She eyed the blonde in a cheerful yet somehow threatening way that Pepper grinned at. Gypsy was taking a few pages out of Pepper's book and it made the ginger proud. "There is no doubt in my mind that if my dad had known about me he would have raised me." Gypsy said, sounding completely confident. Tony nodded, glad his daughter understood that.

Christine smiled though there was a slightly rueful look in her eyes, like she had wanted to cast Tony in a bad light. "So how does your mother feel about you being here?" She asked.

Gypsy's smile slipped and a sad expression appeared on her face. Tony's hold on her became comforting and Pepper patted the young girl's arm sadly. "My mother's funeral was a day before I met my dad." She said quietly, upset.

Christine didn't seem to regret upsetting the poor girl and that made Tony mad. "If you'll excuse us we have a lot of other people we need to talk to." He said before whisking his daughter and fiancée towards more polite reporters.

For almost exactly a half hour Gypsy answered questions thrown at her by reporters. It became easy to talk to them and soon she was stunning them with random bits of genius and insanity. All doubt that she could be someone else's daughter left their heads as she proved just how much like her dad she was. Tony let the reporters catch glimpses of the engagement ring on Pepper's finger and both Starks ignored any questions about the ring, giving each other sly grins as they did. Gypsy was practically eating up the attention by the time her soon to be step mom told her it was time to go inside. Gypsy smiled and held up the classic rock hand sign in goodbye to the reporters before following her dad and Pepper into the lavish building.

"So. Much. Fun." Gypsy whispered with delight once they were inside.

Tony smiled at his daughter and nudged her arm. "See? I told you you'd do great." He said, earning a brilliant smile in return.

They were immediately spotted by politicians when they walked in. A whole group of them came at them and, once they quickly got through the pleasantries, started asking tons of questions. They asked Pepper about the ring on her finger though they didn't get a straightforward answer and they asked Tony about Washington D.C which he assured them he'd be talking about later in front of everyone. They asked a lot about Gypsy and she gave sly answers to the more personal questions. When they asked about her mom she admitted that she was dead. When asked about life with the Avengers she just said it was the best thing that could have ever happened to her, never giving away any actual details about it though. Gypsy answered them without really answering them and it made her feel awesome. She was such a good little trickster...

"Hey Tony!" Clint called out. The billionaire looked up to see Clint waving him over. The archer was standing with a small group of people that immediately gave off a military feel. Natasha was by him and Bruce was standing not far away looking incredibly nervous.

"Well I better go see what he wants." Tony said offhandedly, as if he wasn't worrying about Bruce. Maybe bringing his Science Bud wasn't a good idea. The military liked Bruce way too much and if they happened to recognize the doctor there would be problems. Lots and lots of problems.

Pepper waited a few minutes after Tony left to dismiss the group around them. "Well we have to go mingle a little, introduce Gypsy to a few more people. Feel free to come up to us after Tony's speech if you have anymore questions." Pepper said oh so politely. The group didn't look very happy about being dismissed but they let Pepper and Gypsy leave anyways. Gypsy smiled at Pepper as they made their way deeper into the party. "I am amazing at these things." Pepper said smugly, looking around at the party guests.

Gypsy nodded in agreement, looking curiously at the people around her. "Definitely. All those years with my dad has certainly perfected your skills." She said, smiling a little. Pepper smiled at that and nodded, memories in her eyes. Gypsy wondered how many of these parties the ginger had planned but the number was so big in her head that she put the thought out of her head. Gypsy caught sight of the bar then and bit her lip. "I'm going to go get a soda. See you in a few minutes." She said.

Just before she could take a step away though Pepper grabbed her arm. "Will you be okay by yourself? It'll be pretty hard to find me later." Pepper asked with concern.

"Of course I'll be okay. I'm a Stark, remember?" Gypsy said arrogantly. Pepper gave her a look though and her Stark smirk was quickly replaced with a slightly sheepish smile. "I'll be fine Pep. If I can't find you it's not that hard to find the Avengers." Gypsy assured the ginger. Pepper still didn't look all that certain about letting Gypsy wander off by herself but finally she nodded, letting go of Gypsy's arm. The young girl grinned reassuringly at the ginger before taking off towards the bar, moving gracefully despite her quickness. Gypsy reached the bar in record time and she leaned against it, smiling flirtatiously at the bartender. He smiled back at her, seeming glad that there was someone at his bar who wasn't a stuffy politician. "Hey, can I have a Coke? Please?" Gypsy asked sweetly.

"Not old enough for anything stronger?" The bartender asked, walking over to the small fridge beneath the counter that held the sodas. Gypsy was actually surprised there was soda. Didn't fancy benefit parties only have those fruity cocktail things?

"I've got a couple of years to go." Gypsy said, grinning at the bartender who placed a can of Coke on the counter. He reached for a glass but Gypsy shook her head, taking the can. Natasha had had a talk to her about people poisoning drinks and she wasn't exactly eager to give anybody the chance to poison hers. "Besides, I don't think it would shine a very good light on the leaders of America if I was seen with them drinking alcohol." She said, opening the can with ease.

The bartender laughed a little. "Yeah, I imagine it would start a scandal or two." He said. Gypsy smiled a bit at that and took an appreciative sip from her soda. "So what is a pretty thing like you doing at a boring political party like this?" The bartender asked flirtatiously.

Gypsy very nearly rolled her eyes. She was still a major flirt but getting flirted with annoyed the crap out of her now. Steve wasn't good at flirting which Gypsy actually liked, surprisingly. It meant there were no games between them. Besides, after flirting with Loki she found a regular guy's flirting pathetic. Gypsy hated herself for thinking that but it was true. Loki was the master of flirting and games and no regular guy could ever match him. "My dad's Tony Stark." Gypsy answered simply, enjoying the look of shock that appeared on his face.

Before the bartender could say anything more Gypsy left. She wandered over to an empty little section of the room and leaned against the wall, taking a drink from her soda as she did. She looked around, taking in the sight of all the high end people walking around and exchanging pleasantries. Gypsy spotted her dad and Bruce talking a little bit away and she worried for her pretend uncle, he looked so stressed. She quickly moved her eyes away from them, just in case someone followed her gaze and it drew attention to Bruce. Almost immediately her eyes landed on the stoic assassins looking around the room coolly for any signs of threats. Clint caught Gypsy's eye and gave her a concerned look, silently asking if she was okay. Gypsy nodded and raised her soda to him, silently saying yeah she was fine and just enjoying a quick soda. Clint nodded and turned back to Natasha, whispering something to her. Gypsy smiled at them before desperately searching for Steve. She wanted him with her right then even if it meant her dad found out about them. She wanted the thoughts of Loki pushing at her mind to disappear. She couldn't spot him though. No matter how much she looked for the tall muscular man in an Italian suit she couldn't see him. Gypsy was starting to get concerned. But just as she was about to go looking for him something caught her attention. A movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, her eyes drifting towards the bar she had just left. What she saw made her freeze.


	3. Dancing

Loki. Loki, the God of Mischief, the one man she was sure she would never see again, was leaning against the bar. Watching her. Gypsy stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in a shocked o. He chuckled. She saw him chuckle. He was laughing at her. Gypsy was too shocked to be annoyed or angry. She started walking towards him without thinking, her body telling her to go to him. To Loki. To the man who knew her every thought and memory.

A hand landed on her shoulder and Gypsy jumped, spinning around in surprise. A man probably only a year or two older than her was standing there, smiling. "Hey, sorry for startling you." He told her apologetically. Gypsy ignored him and looked back at Loki. He was gone though. Gypsy nearly let a crazed smile appear on her face. Loki would do something this cruel. He would show up, give her a sight of him, then disappear the second she looked away and make her think she was insane. It was so like him. Gypsy felt a mixture of happiness and fear inside her. If it was him then he was alive and obviously well off if he was spooking her. If it was him that meant he was on earth again and that was a very bad thing. Then again, if it wasn't him the earth was safe for another day. If it wasn't him she was insane. "Are you okay?" The man asked her when she turned back, conflicting emoitons showing on her face.

Gypsy quickly threw on a mask, not wanting this stranger to know her feelings. "Yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I just thought I saw something odd." She told him. The man smiled, obviously buying the lie that was her mask. "What's your name cutie?" Gypsy asked flirtatiously. If you ever need to distract a boy, flirt with him. Boys don't really notice much when a pretty girl shows interest.

"Derek Stern. My uncle's Senator Stern." The man answered with a big grin.

"Really? And your uncle let you come to an important party like this?" Gypsy asked, keeping her skeptical thoughts out of her voice.

Derek nodded a little smugly. "He owed me for not telling my dad about it being his fault the Ferrari got scratched." He said, sounding overly happy that he had blackmailed his uncle into letting him come. Gypsy stopped herself from scowling at him. From what her dad had told her, Stern was the type of guy who would use her scorning his nephew as an excuse to lash out at her dad. So she smiled flirtatiously instead of scowling, silently vowing to force her dad to buy her a cookie for this. "You're Gypsy Stark right? The infamous playboy's daughter?" Derek asked.

Gypsy frowned lightly at that, keeping her anger back. If Loki was here he'd be scolding her for being so nice to such a pathetic mortal. Gypsy quickly pushed the thought from her head. She wasn't supposed to think about Loki, especially if he actually was here. He'd be reading her thoughts for certain if he was here. "My dad isn't a playboy anymore. He's very happy in a very serious relationship." She told the Senator's nephew.

"I'm sorry, I was just making sure the rumors were true." Derek said quickly, obviously lying. Gypsy smiled at him in a way that looked forgiving, her mind drifting once more to Loki. He'd recognize the anger in her smile. He wouldn't be this dumb. Gypsy shook her head slightly. She hated Loki for making himself such a big part of her. For always being in her head. "Sooooo." The Senator's nephew said slowly. Gypsy had to fight back a wince at how annoying he sounded. "Care to dance?" He asked, holding out his hand and jerking his head towards the dance floor.

Gypsy looked over at the dance floor. There weren't that many people dancing and the music was formal, slow songs and waltz music. Gypsy was sure the guy was just asking her so he could put his hands on her without being creepy but she had no excuse (none that she could use without consequences) to tell him no. When she tried to catch the attention of her assassin siblings they unintentionally ignored her, focusing instead on her dad and pretend uncle who were talking to some politicians. Gypsy sighed a looked back at Derek. "Sure, let's dance." She said as she placed her hand in his, not sounding very excited about it. The idiot didn't notice though and quickly dragged her onto the dance floor, placing his hand on her hips the second they were there. Gypsy sighed and barely placed her hands on his shoulders, hating him and wishing she wasn't there. She looked around for Steve, wishing once more for her wonderful distraction from literally everything.

Steve of course didn't notice that. He was too busy talking to a very old WWII vet Tony had sent his way. The vet had actually fought with Steve at one point and wanted to know how the poor American hero was coping with his drastic change in life. Steve admitted it was hard but he was doing much better now that he had someone he cared about again. The vet instantly picked up on it being a girl and it didn't take him long to find out about Steve secretly dating Gypsy Stark.

"So where is this special dame of yours?" The vet asked, looking around for the billionaire's daughter. Steve looked around too and immediately spotted Gypsy at the dance floor...dancing with another guy. The vet spotted her at the same time and he smiled. "She looks uncomfortable Captain." He said. Steve pushed aside his hurt long enough to notice how Gypsy wasn't trying very hard to hide her disgust in the guy. He could actually see how tense she was from where he stood, it was that bad. His hurt vanished immediately, anger and protectiveness replacing it quickly. "You should go fix that." The vet told him.

"Thanks." Steve said, giving the fellow soldier a grateful smile before taking off towards Gypsy and the man.

Gypsy sighed but the Senator's nephew didn't notice it. He was too busy going on and on about how rich his family was. Gypsy wanted so much to point out that her dad was a hundred times richer than his but she kept her mouth shut. Her eyes drifted over to the bar again and she actually wasn't surprised to see Loki there again. He was snickering at her suffering. The ass.

"Excuse me." Gypsy's jumped slightly at the suddenness of the voice but when she recognized it a huge joyous grin spread across her face. Steve was standing right behind Derek, his hand on the idiot's shoulder. "May I cut in?" Steve asked the Senator's nephew though his tone suggested he didn't really want permission. He was going to dance with Gypsy whether this guy said he could or not.

"Of course!" Gypsy said excitedly, slipping out of Derek's uncomfortably tight grip. Steve pushed the other man aside a little rougher than necessary and stepped in front of Gypsy. His hands rested gently yet possessively on her hips and her hands instantly went up to his shoulders. "Bye Derek." She said cheerfully, already swaying with Steve who was smiling at her lovingly. The Senator's nephew didn't move until Steve shot him a warning look. The second he was gone Gypsy sighed and smiled in what could have been described as rapturous delight. "Oh God I hated him." She said almost to herself.

Steve chuckled softly. "I could tell." He told her, grinning like an idiot at her. She'd relaxed so much and her hold on him was unintentionally tight, like she enjoyed having him with her and didn't want to let him go.

Gypsy looked at him in shock. "You could?" She asked, confusion swimming in her shock.

"You weren't exactly trying to hide it Gypsy." Steve told her with a chuckle.

Gypsy very nearly frowned in disappointment. She was always half hoping that he could see through her masks, through her lies. He could on some occasions but not a lot. Not like Loki could. Gypsy hated herself and the trickster god for that. She hated him for reading her mind and becoming so damn close to her and she hated herself for becoming so close to him and comparing everyone, even wonderful beautiful Steve, to him. Gypsy pulled herself closer to Steve, feeling the absolute need to be nearer to the sweet soldier. He was the only one who could banish thoughts of Loki completely from her mind. She needed him. When she quickly glanced over at the bar she nearly let out a sigh, Loki was gone. Which just proved how amazing Steve was.

"I thought we were still being secretive." Steve said in confusion without thinking. He regretted saying it though the second it was out of his mouth. Steve loved having her this close to him and truthfully he didn't want to put distance between them. Reminding her would surely make her pull away.

Gypsy shook her head, actually moving a little bit closer. Her hands rested one over the other right between his shoulder blades now and his hands were placed at on the small of her back. Her mind was buzzing with how close they were in public. She still sometimes slept in his bed with him when she had nightmares and they cuddled all the time but that was always in private and absolutely nowhere near her dad. "I don't care about being secretive right now. I need you close." Gypsy told him.

Steve heard the slightly desperate tone in her voice and he wondered what was the matter. He didn't ask though, he knew how much she hated displaying weak emotions especially in public. If he asked she'd tell him and then she'd show an emotion she didn't want to and be mad about it later. So instead of prying Steve decided to comfort. Prying could always come later after all. "Then I'll stay close." He assured her, smiling comfortingly at her. Gypsy smiled back and her lips quirked forward by just a little, as if she wanted to kiss him. She did but she was unsure if he would mind. He very rarely kissed her in front of other people unless he thought she really needed the comfort. Steve smiled at her and removed one hand from her back so that he could lightly grip her chin. He tilted her head up slightly and barely a second later their lips were locked in a short but passionate kiss.

When they broke apart Gypsy let out a happy little sigh. "I absolutely love that." She said breathily. Steve chuckled and nodded his agreement. He leaned down again, giving her another loving but much quicker kiss. Gypsy grinned goofily up at him, all thoughts of Loki gone from her head as her feelings for him and his affection clouded her mind.

"I don't think you understand just how much power you have over me." Steve said with a soft chuckle, staring into those puppy eyes of hers. Confusion flashed behind her eyes and he smiled, pushing a small wavy lock of hair behind her ear. She'd insisted she keep her hair down for the party and Pepper had reluctantly let her, ordered her to wear a very pretty golden barrette in her hair to make up for it. "You really don't know? Sweetheart, you could kill me with your smile." He told her sincerely. She really could if she wanted. It was so much like how he'd felt about Peggy but it was so much more. Maybe because he had never gotten this far with Peggy. Steve pushed those thoughts out of his head though. He couldn't start comparing Gypsy to Peggy though if he did think on it she was a lot like the woman from his past.

"Be glad I don't want you dead then." Gypsy joked, smiling away. Steve smiled back and neither one noticed as the song ended and another one began, too caught up in each other.

Someone cleared their throat loudly, pointedly, and the couple jumped. They both turned to see Clint glaring somewhat disapprovingly at Steve. Clint wasn't actually mad at Steve, the look of pure adoration he was giving his little pretend sister was enough to get him back into Clint's good books, but he couldn't let the super soldier know that. "Tony's about to start his speech. He wants all of us near him." He told them.

Gypsy reluctantly pulled out of Steve's hold. "Alright Hawk bro, show us the way." She told him, gesturing for him to start walking.

Clint raised an eyebrow at her, smirking. "Hawk bro?" He asked questioningly.

"I was trying to be nice but if you really like bird brain that much I can keep calling you it." Gypsy told him, smiling a little. Clint rolled his eyes and turned away but not without shooting a smile at her first. Gypsy chuckled and followed after her assassin sibling, Steve right on her heels.

Tony gave a wonderful speech about why everyone should donate money to help the cities Loki destroyed but Gypsy couldn't pay attention to any of it. She tried but she just couldn't manage it. There was a nagging at the back of her head and the feeling of someone's intense anger being directed at her. She looked around for Loki, expecting to see him glaring at her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Panic and worry quickly built up in her, making the rest of the party seem like a blur. She almost didn't notice it when they all finally left, heading straight for Stark Tower.


	4. Stark Tower

Stark Tower. Wooooow. It was a lot more modern than the house in Malibu. Not that it didn't have the same amazing technology it just seemed sleeker. Like no one lived there and it was just for parties. That was more than a little bit true though since Tony had no reason to stay in Stark Tower that often. He never stayed overnight at places anymore unless he couldn't avoid it, always coming home as quick as he could even if it meant sleeping on the jet.

"I feel like we should be drinking champagne and talking about the weather." Gypsy said as they all sat around what she could only describe as a loft. The real living areas, the kitchen and bedrooms and bathrooms, were all upstairs in the parts of the building basically only Tony had access to.

"Well seeing as we all look like high end bums I can't help but agree." Clint said sleepily, gesturing to their outfits. None of them had changed yet. They'd all collapsed around the TV when Tony turned it on, too tired to go to their bedrooms and change. Pepper had packed them bags of clothes but they were lying mostly forgotten in a corner of the room.

Pepper chuckled, rubbing circles on her stomach. "We should all get some sleep. It's almost one in the morning." She said tiredly.

Tony shrugged absently. He wasn't really tired though he probably could sleep. "How about we all sleep in here tonight? I'll get Jarvis to find us a movie on Netflix and we can all pass out." He said.

"Sounds good with me." Natasha said, snuggling into Clint's side. She hated attending fancy parties though she looked so at ease at them and they always left her exhausted.

"I'm gonna go change." Gypsy said, slowly getting up. She walked over to the corner with all the bags and picked up her designated backpack.

"Hang your dress up in the bathroom closet! Do _not _leave it on the floor!" Pepper shouted after her as she headed for the elevator.

Gypsy grinned sleepily at Pepper as she leaned against the elevator wall. "Yeah, yeah, alright Pep." She said tiredly before pressing the button for the next floor. Within seconds she was up on the next floor and stumbling into a nearby bathroom.

It didn't take Gypsy very long to change into a pair of basketball shorts and an old tee shirt but she stayed in the bathroom a lot longer than she should have. Her mind had drifted back to Loki. Was he really here or was she just imagining it? If he was here what was he planning? If he tried to hurt her family again she'd willingly punch him in the face but if he wasn't...well why else would he be here? Gypsy shook her head, she wasn't sure if she wanted Loki to be here or not. She knew it would be bad if he was but if she was being truthful she actually kind of wanted Loki back. How could she not? He knew her head, knew every little thing about her. She wouldn't have to play stupid games with him unless she wanted to if he was here. And she knew his head so it wouldn't be anything like before. There wouldn't be that horrible knot of fear in her stomach every time they interacted. Gypsy hated herself for actually being curious about how they're relationship would change. What type of person liked interacting with a psychopath? She should be locked up for insanity.

"Gypsy?" Steve's extremely concerned voice floated through the doorway. Gypsy quickly walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a worried looking Steve standing barely an inch from the doorway. She threw on a mask, hoping Steve wouldn't pick up on how upset she was. "Hey, we thought you might have passed out on the floor." He said, trying to joke but not really succeeding. He just sounded too worried.

"Nope, I'm fine." Gypsy said cheerfully, smiling at him.

Steve stared at Gypsy doubtfully for a second before looking around to make sure no one was around. Once he made sure they were alone he gently pushed her back into the bathroom and followed her in, closing the door behind him. He placed his hands on her shoulder and stared at her dead in the eye. "Gypsy, I know when you're lying. What's the matter sweetheart?" He asked.

Gypsy bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him or not. The look he was giving her, God she couldn't tell him no with him staring that intensely at her. Besides, he had called her sweetheart again. How was she supposed to resist that? "I think I might be going insane, Steve. I think I'm seeing things." She said sadly, looking at their feet.

"What are you seeing?" Steve asked her. He was keeping his voice calm for her but inside he was worrying big time.

Gypsy shook her head. "Just stuff and it's got me thinking things. Things that make me an absolutely horrible person." She said, her voice cracking slightly.

Steve pulled Gypsy into a tight hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Gypsy, you are not a horrible person. They're just thoughts, everyone has horrible thoughts once in a while. You can't judge yourself over a few upset thoughts." He told her. Gypsy clung to him so tightly that Steve could only call it desperate. He wondered what she had seen and what she had thought to make her act like this. "You aren't capable of being a horrible person Gypsy. I know that for a fact. Whatever thoughts are bothering you probably aren't that horrible. I'm sure whatever reason you have for thinking them is a good one." He said, rubbing soft comforting circles on her back.

Gypsy nodded then pulled away slightly so that she could look up into his face. Suddenly she was on her tiptoes and her lips were pressed against his. Steve immediately kissed her back though he couldn't help but worry at the sheer amount of need in her kiss. She unwrapped her arms from around him so she could grab fistfuls of his shirt and pull him down closer to her. She needed him. She needed him to be there for her, to drive the thoughts about Loki far out of her head. Gypsy felt weak, needing someone this much, but she couldn't help it. She hated feeling like a horrible person more than she hated feeling weak so she desperately kissed the super soldier, her heart thundering in her ears.

When they broke apart for air Steve rested his forehead against Gypsy's, staring into her eyes and looking for any sign that she was alright now. Steve loved Gypsy, he really did, and he was worried about her. She was acting so unlike Gypsy and he needed to know why. When she moved in to kiss him again he shook his head, reluctantly pulling away. He loved kissing her but he had a feeling something bad would happen if he kissed her again. "We've been gone for a bit. I don't want Bruce or Clint killing me because they think we did something." He told her.

Gypsy pouted slightly though her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Like you would actually do anything." She said before slipping past him and walking out the door.

Steve followed her, a blush spread across his face. "Gypsy you know how I feel about _that_." He told her awkwardly.

"Yeah, I know Cap." Gypsy said as they entered the elevator. "A ring has to be on my finger and we've got to say some vows before we do that." She said, rolling her eyes slightly. Steve didn't know if Gypsy had ever uh...fondued...so he wasn't sure if she was annoyed with him or not. He worried that she was and that she'd leave him because he wasn't willing to move quicker. He knew Gypsy wasn't the type of girl to do something like that but he still worried. Gypsy glanced over a the super soldier and smiled at him. "Steve, it was a joke. I don't mind taking things slow." She assured him. Memories of Loki lying on top of her, pinning her to the bed, filled her head and she had to stop herself from shuddering. She placed another quick kiss on Steve's lips before pressing the button leading to the floor beneath them. "I promise." Gypsy told him with a smile.

Bruce was the only one who noticed when they got back, mostly because everyone else was focusing on the heated debate between Clint and Tony. He motioned for Gypsy to come over and she did, snuggling up beside her favorite pretend uncle on the couch. "Gypsy, I don't need to be giving you a talk on 'saftey' do I?" He asked quietly, giving her a pointed look.

Gypsy made a noise like she was choking. "_No_." She told him, her eyes wide. Bruce smiled proudly at her, glad she was smart enough not to do anything stupid. "Besides, don't you think I learned by looking at my own life not to do stupid crap like that?" She asked quietly, giving him her own pointed look.

Bruce frowned but nodded, looking back at the book Pepper had so thoughtfully packed for him. Gypsy turned her attention to her arguing dad and pretend brother, a smile appearing on her face. "Tony you said we were going to watch a movie! Walking Dead is not a movie!" Clint said, reaching for the remote Tony was holding behind his back.

"But it's awesome! You just don't want to watch it cause you're afraid of zombies." Tony said, lifting the remote in the air in an attempt to make it harder for Clint to grab it. Clint was taller than Tony though and he managed to grab it. Gypsy slowly got up off the couch and crouched down onto the ground, staring at the remote with determination.

"I am not! I just don't want to go to sleep to the sounds of someone getting eaten by the undead!" Clint said angrily. He pointed the remote at Tony. "We are not watching Walking Dead!" He announced. Gypsy grinned wildly before pouncing at him. Clint, shocked by the sudden attack, let go of the remote without much of a fight. Gypsy hollered in triumph as she raced back to the couch with the remote. Bruce chuckled lightly at her as she turned on the first episode of Walking Dead. "Hey!" Clint shouted, glaring at Gypsy.

"You want to fight me for it bird brain?" Gypsy asked challengingly, a wicked grin on her face.

"Let's go Roses!" Clint said jokingly, grinning.

Ten minutes later Clint was lying on the floor nursing a bump on his head. Everyone was trying so hard not to laugh and failing miserably as Gypsy did a victory dance around the room. Pepper made her sit down and soon everyone was in their favorite movie watching positions. Since there were three couches and a couple of chairs everyone had a place to sleep. Tony sat sprawled at one end of a couch and Pepper stretched out on the remainder of the couch, using his leg as a pillow. Bruce sat in one of the chairs, reading his book since he wasn't exactly what you would call a movie person. Clint and Natasha were stretched across one couch, their feet in each other's faces. Steve and Gypsy shared the last couch, sitting apart from each other so as not to alert Tony of anything but with their feet tangled together. All thoughts of Loki were out of Gypsy's head as she sat there with her family watching zombies do what zombies did best. At least, they were until she fell asleep.


	5. A Somewhat Familiar Dream

_Something was off. Gypsy knew it instantly because one minute she was dreaming about flying around on the back of an elephant and the next she was standing in her bedroom. Not the one in Malibu, the one she had hidden in after beatings from her step father. The bedroom that was hers back when her mom was still alive. Gypsy hadn't dreamt about her old bedroom or her old life ever. Any nightmares she had were memories of when she was with Loki at his worst or of the fight in D.C or sometimes her nightmare was her in a snow storm, dying of the cold. Never had she dreamt about this. So what the heck?_

_"Pathetic." Gypsy spun around, her eyes wider than dinner plates. Loki was leaning against her door, looking around in distaste. "I have seen barren moons with more extravagance than this." He said, gesturing to her room._

_Gypsy frowned at him. "So sorry my old room doesn't meet up to your standards Your Highness." She told him angrily._

_Loki chuckled softly, pushing himself off the wall. He walked over to her and gripped her chin with a cold hand, tilting her head up so that he could see every bit of her face. Gypsy stared him dead in the eye, still frowning. "Are you mad at me Gypsy? Did I anger you by insulting your old hovel?" He asked her._

_"Of course I'm mad and not just for the insult." Gypsy said, slapping his hand away. Loki chuckled softly, his eyes shining with something close to pride. So she hadn't lost her fire, that was good. Loki would find her boring if she had. "Am I becoming insane or something? I saw you! Twice! And I felt you in my head!" She said angrily, glaring up at him._

_Loki walked around her, heading over to her bedside table. He picked a statue of an angel up off of it and examined it closely. "You are not going insane Gypsy. I believe you're just a bit too strong for something like that." He told her. Loki gave her a slightly annoyed look though the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "Your strength annoys me." He said, making her laugh a little._

_Gypsy walked over and gently pulled the angel statue out of Loki's hand. It was an old Christmas gift from her mom that she still had. It was in her room in Malibu, right by her bed. "I'm sure it does Loki. Now tell me how you managed to get to earth and not trip Hell's bells?" She asked him, putting down the angel._

_"I'm not on your disgusting planet." Loki told her, a secretive grin on his face. Gypsy smiled at him though there was a small glare on her face, she didn't like him drawing this out. Loki chuckled at her annoyance, enjoying the first entertaining interaction he'd had in a while. "Currently I am trapped in an Asgardian cell made specifically to cripple my magic." He told her._

_"Then how are you here? How did you show up at the party?" Gypsy asked curiously._

_"I know your every thought, your every wish, your every memory. Your mind is so familiar to me it barely takes anything to enter it, to make you see things, to make you feel things." Loki explained. Gypsy glared at him viciously for making her see things that weren't there but her glare disappeared when he suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "And we did spend some rather bonding time together." He practically purred._

_Gypsy chuckled softly, pushing Loki away from her. He could have easily held onto her but he let her slip out of his grip. Here in her old room she was so much more vulnerable than in any place she'd ever been. It brought up thousands of memories of being beaten down. Of being weak. She didn't like being weak. It was why she played the predator instead of the prey. "So you're making me see things why?" She asked, walking across her room to examine her old bookshelf of movies. The Titanic was there, one of her mom's favorite movies. She'd have to watch it again when she woke up._

_Loki shrugged, walking over to her. "It was getting very boring in my cage. I wanted a little entertainment." He told her. He placed himself directly behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Gypsy forced herself not to lean back into him, into his chill. With layers between their skin his touch wasn't harmful. It was soothing actually. Horribly soothing. Loki knew it was too and he grinned, placing his lips near her ear. "You are viciously entertaining Gypsy. My favorite little toy." He purred._

_"Oh so I'm a toy now?" Gypsy said, a slight growl in her voice._

_Loki chuckled softly, his breath hitting her ear. Chills went down her back and she bit her lip so she wouldn't say anything, like tell him to get off of her. Loki enjoyed her telling him that. It made making her enjoy his touch all the sweeter in his head. "Well you are fun to play with luv." He told her. His eyes drifted to the place on her neck he'd once kissed and he grinned wickedly. He nuzzled it with her nose and laughed when she suddenly pulled out of his grip, fleeing a few feet away._

_"Don't touch me Loki." Gypsy practically snarled._

_"Why?" Loki asked, stalking towards her because he knew she hated it. She was angering him, he would no longer be polite and not play with her fears and annoyances. "Because you fear my touch? Or because you belong to the soldier?" He asked her angrily._

_Gypsy smirked a little. "Jealous, Loki?" She asked mockingly._

_Loki placed a hand on the wall on either side of her head and leaned in till his face was just an inch from hers. "I don't like sharing my toys Gypsy." He growled at her, examining her face. He nearly smiled at the anger in her eyes but he managed not to._

_"I'm not one of your toys Loki. I never was." Gypsy snarled. She shoved him but he barely budged. "I don't belong to Steve either. He doesn't see me as a possession like you." She told him, a hint of pride in her voice as she talked about her super soldier. Loki growled at her for that and slowly a smile spread across her face. "You really are jealous aren't you? That's why I felt anger earlier, cause you didn't like me being with him." Gypsy said with a slight laugh._

_"Of course I'm jealous." Loki said, turning the situation around on her. Gypsy frowned lightly at that though she couldn't help but feel a tad bit happy about that. She, Gypsy freakin' Stark, had made the God of Mischief, a madman and a total asshole, jealous. "You're _mine_, Gypsy." Loki told her. He took his hands off the wall so he could place them on her hips and pull her drastically close to him. Gypsy glared up at him and he chuckled. "Oh, that's right. You don't like being 'man handled.'" He said almost tauntingly._

_Gypsy nodded angrily but despite that she placed her hands over his, holding them in place. "Why are you jealous Loki?" She asked, her voice coming out as a soft purr. Gypsy nearly smiled at the look of annoyance that appeared on Loki's face. She also nearly smiled because it felt awesome to play the game and actually enjoy it. To have a worthy opponent again was wonderful. "Is it because I'm the only one who gets you? Because I'm the only one who understands what's going on in that head of yours?" Gypsy asked, using the same almost taunting tone he did._

_Loki glared at her for a second before letting out a short chuckle. "_Yes_." He purred. Gypsy shuddered slightly, hating herself for loving his voice. "You know me better than anyone. It would displease you if you saw someone who knew so little about me glued to my lips." He purred. Loki pulled his hands out from under hers and slipped his arms around her considerably smaller frame, giving her a knowing look._

_Gypsy squirmed slightly in Loki's hold, making him grin. "Maybe but it's not like Steve knows nothing about me." She told him._

_"Really?" Loki asked, a slight growl in his voice now. Gypsy glared up at him but found herself placing her hands on his chest. Whether to keep distance between them or because she enjoyed the chill she got from it she wasn't sure. "Does he know about your step father? Does he know about your mother? How about all the boys you've flirted with? Does he know about your time with me?" He asked._

_"He knows about the first two and most of my childhood. I didn't tell him about the guys I've flirted with cause it's a little awkward to tell your boyfriend about that sort of thing." Gypsy admitted._

_Loki grinned wildly. "So I do know you better than him." He said, pleased. Gypsy hated how he said it like that but it was the truth. But how was she supposed to tell Steve _everything_? She couldn't remember all the things Loki knew about her, he'd seen things she had forgotten over the years, so there was no way Steve could ever know her like Loki did. "You haven't told him about our time together. You haven't told him how you think of me now." Loki said, sounding triumphant._

_Gypsy squirmed again and his grip on her tightened. "I can't tell him about that. He'll hate me." She practically whispered._

_"Then he truly doesn't understand you as I do." Loki purred happily. He enjoyed knowing the soldier didn't measure up to him. He loved the fact that he had more claim over the girl than the soldier did. The girl was _his_. He claimed her as his. She knew too much about his mind for him to let her be anyone else's. Gypsy glared at him, hating him for being so happy. "Oh come now luv, you can't deny it. You also can't deny that you have missed our interactions." He told her._

_"I don't miss them." Gypsy said immediately, lying through her teeth._

_Loki gave her an amused skeptical look. "Gypsy, you can not lie to me." He told her. Gypsy let out an annoyed little huff, hating him for knowing her lies. For being able to look through her masks. She knew she was being stupid, she had been hoping just hours before that Steve could read her like Loki did, but she didn't care. She was allowed to be a little stupid, especially in her dreams. "You may not mind the soldier not playing games with you but I know you miss it. You take so much pleasure in winning them. I offered you a glimpse of how amazing playing with a pro is and now you can't stand to talk to most mortal men." Loki sounded so cheerful saying that._

_Gypsy growled softly. "I hate how you know me so well." She said furiously._

_"No you don't." Loki said, chuckling._

_Gypsy glared at him for a minute before letting out a very annoyed huff. "No, I don't." She admitted grudgingly._

_Loki pulled Gypsy even closer to him, placing his face so close to hers that their noses were brushing. "Do you miss me Gypsy? Do you miss the twisted little game of cat versus cat we played?" He asked her tauntingly._

_"No, shut up." Gypsy told him, not meeting his gaze._

_Loki hummed softly, a wicked grin on his face. "Oh I so believe you Gypsy Stark." He said cheerfully. Gypsy met his eyes then, a small bit of humor in her eyes. Loki felt the familiar hunger he'd never quenched stir inside him and he tilted his head, going in for a hungry kiss._


	6. Daddy Finds Out

"Hey!" Gypsy bolted upright, panting heavily in shock. It took her a minute or two to realize where she was at but once she did she was able to focus on Clint standing over her. "Guns N' Roses you're about to get yelled at big time so I suggest you get up now." He told her.

"What are you talking about?" Gypsy asked. She sounded wide awake and Clint gave her a slightly suspicious look because of it. Gypsy was always groggy when she woke up, even if she was shocked awake.

Clint looked at her for a few seconds before pulling a rolled up magazine out of his back pocket. He held it out to her and she took it, eyeing him with confusion. He nodded for her to look at it and when she did she instantly noticed what he wanted her to see. On the front of the cover, on the side where the smaller stories were mentioned, was a picture of her and Steve standing side by side while her dad gave his speech. Beneath it was the caption "The Solider and the Billionaire's Daughter." Gypsy's eyes widened and she immediately flipped to page ten where the story was at. Above the actually rather short story was a huge picture, clearly taken by a camera phone, of her and Steve kissing on the dance floor. Gypsy quickly read the article and when she saw the little comment about who provided the picture "a man who wants to be referred to simply as Derek" she growled.

"Oh I am going to kill that bastard." Gypsy said furiously, clenching the magazine tightly.

"Well you'll have to do that after your dad murders Steve." Clint said before moving over to the sleeping super soldier at the other end of the couch.

While Clint woke up Steve and explained to him what was going on Gypsy took her chance to think over her Loki filled dream. She could still feel the tingle the light brush of his nose had left on hers and her skin was flushed pink from his chill. Gypsy silently cursed him, why did he have to make it so that she woke up effected by her dreams? She knew he had to be doing it intentionally. He probably thought it was his way of making sure she didn't forget the dreams he gave her. Gypsy hated herself for actually enjoying the dream too. For enjoying their interaction. She was supposed to hate Loki not enjoy talking to him. He'd looked so hungry the second before she'd woken up too and he'd been going in for a kiss that surely would have led them down a road Gypsy really didn't want to travel. She wanted to thank Clint a million times over for his great timing but she knew she couldn't. He'd get concerned, tell the others. Gypsy shook her head and focused on a sleepy but nervous looking Steve and her slightly angry looking Hawk brother.

"So Tony's mad?" Steve asked.

"Well when he called he was yelling about killing you for violating his daughter's lips so yeah I'd say he's pretty mad." Clint said, sounding a tad bit amused.

Gypsy chuckled and stood up, stretching. "Well he was bound to find out sooner or later. It might as well be in the most drastic way possible." She said, popping her back. Clint chuckled a little while Steve stared at her in astonishment. "I feel like breakfast. Anyone else feel like breakfast? I have a feeling everyone else is in the kitchen already so why not?" Gypsy said, scratching the back of her hand.

Gypsy started walking to the elevator and Clint followed after her immediately, humming away about eggs and bacon. Steve followed them too, looking surprised as heck. "You do realize he thinks I kissed you without us being in a relationship, right?" He asked her. Gypsy shrugged lightly like it was no big deal. It wasn't really. It wouldn't be very difficult to explain to him that yeah she and Steve were dating so it was alright. What they'd have to worry about would be his anger for them not telling him. Oh and his anger from having to find out about it through a damn magazine. "Gypsy he's going to kill me." Steve told her as they walked into the elevator.

"He isn't going to kill you Steve. I won't let him." Gypsy told him. She pressed the button leading to the floor with the kitchen before taking a step towards Steve and wrapping her arms around his neck. Steve's arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. "Besides, I thought you would be happy we didn't have to pretend anymore." She said cheerfully.

Steve glanced nervously over at Clint before smiling slightly at Gypsy. "I am happy sweetheart." He told her sincerely.

Gypsy gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Then stop worrying. Everything's going to be fine." She told him. In the back of her head she felt Loki's anger. He didn't like the fact that Steve got to kiss Gypsy and he didn't. Gypsy forced back a smile and hoped Loki could hear her thoughts because she was silently teasing him for acting like a preteen with a crush.

When they finally got to the kitchen no one was surprised to see Gypsy pulling Steve along, her hand tightly clasped in his. Clint walked over to Natasha and took the coffee mug she offered him while everyone else focused on the couple. Steve slipped out of Gypsy's grip and joined Pepper at the table, looking at the wooden surface nervously. Gypsy rolled her eyes a little and started searching for cups. A minute later Tony came storming into the kitchen, the same magazine Clint had shown Gypsy clutched in his hand. His angry eyes instantly landed on Steve and he stood in the doorway, silently waiting for the super soldier to explain before he ripped him limb from limb.

"Hey dad." Gypsy said cheerfully, grinning at him.

Tony looked over at her and realized she was going to be the one to tell him what the hell was going on. He held up the magazine for her to see. "What's this?" He asked angrily.

Gypsy gave him the Stark smirk. "That, my dearest dad, is a magazine." She told him, using the same tone parents did when explaining things to toddlers. Gypsy turned back to the cabinets and frowned. "Jarvis where are the cups?" She asked the brilliant AI.

"Second cabinet from the left side of the fridge." Jarvis immediately answered.

"Thanks bud." Gypsy said before retrieving a cup from the cabinet. She held it up for her dad to see and raised an eyebrow at him, smirking. "Really? You have an Iron Man mug?" She asked, chuckling.

Tony ignored her comment and flipped the magazine to the page where the picture of his daughter and the super soldier practically glued together at the lips was. "I'm talking about this, Gypsy." He told her, pointing at the picture. He threw the magazine onto the table and turned to Steve, a dangerous glare on his face. "You have some explaining to do Rogers." He told the super soldier furiously.

Gypsy rolled her eyes and opened up the fridge. "Dad, don't scare the poor man. This is my fault." She told him as she pulled out a jug of chocolate milk. Why was there food here? Maybe Pepper had called ahead and gotten someone to stalk the fridge. Gypsy glanced up at her dad as she poured herself a glass of milk and winced slightly at the angry but slightly hurt look he was giving her. "Me and Steve have been together since you guys saved me. I told him not to tell you cause I was scared of how you'd react." She told him.

"So he didn't kiss you without permission?" Tony asked.

"Nope." Gypsy said, popping the p. She put the milk back in the fridge before turning to her dad with a smile. "He had complete permission to glue his lips to mine." She told him. Probably not the best way to tell her dad but she had to make a joke. It kept her from looking nervous.

"Alright fine but you let me find out through a _magazine article_?" Tony asked furiously.

Gypsy winced and gave her dad an apologetic look. "Sorry about that one dad." She said before taking a large gulp of her chocolate milk. Luckily Tony didn't say anything, giving her a chance to swallow and wipe her lips. "I got roped into dancing with Senator Stern's nephew and he didn't seem all that pleased when Steve cut in. I'm really glad that you did Steve, don't get me wrong, but I think he got a tad bit mad if the picture's any indication." Gypsy said, gesturing to the magazine. She frowned at it. "He should have just taken it like a man. Seriously, what type of guy starts a whole mess of paparazzi drama just because his dance was interrupted?" She asked angrily.

Tony let out a not so amused laugh. "Well you did say he was Stern's nephew." He said, thinking of the annoying Senator.

Gypsy chuckled and took another drink from her chocolate milk. When she swallowed she gave her dad a puppy dog look. "So are we in trouble? Are you going to kill us?" She asked nervously. She didn't like her dad being mad at her.

Tony frowned for a minute then sighed loudly. "No, I'm not going to kill you. You should have told me though. No more secrets, 'kay?" He told her. Gypsy nodded eagerly and grinned wildly at her dad. He smiled back before turning to Steve with an extremely serious expression on his face. "You and me are going to have a talk very soon Rogers." He told the super soldier, sounding dead serious.

Silence settled in the kitchen for a few minutes until Gypsy loudly clucked her tongue. "So Uncle Bruce what are we having for breakfast today? Something exotic or is that for dinner?" She asked, switching the room's mood into as typical Saturday morning.

"Typical breakfast but we're having lamb for dinner. I've been wanting to try a new recipe for it for a while now." Bruce told her and just like that they were all back to normal. Except for the now outward displays of affection Gypsy was giving Steve. Now that her dad knew there was no way she was keeping their relationship a secret and if that miffed Loki off so what? It wasn't like she cared for him...right?


	7. A Mildly Threatening Conversation

Gypsy rubbed her fist against her forehead, the dull throb there making her frown. Loki was mad and it was getting difficult for her to ignore. She kept close to Steve but every time he wandered off her mind instantly went back to Loki. Loki and his insane stupid jealousy. She hated him for it and she hated the headache he was causing. What had it been? Seven hours now? Couldn't he just give up? Gypsy sighed and leaned against Steve's chest, staring at the movie she was supposed to be watching with him. They'd gotten back to Malibu a few hours ago and had immediately settled in for a movie, wanting something to calm their nerves after a tense jet ride back home. Tony had been giving Steve mean looks the whole time and it had made the couple rather nervous.

"You okay?" Steve asked her for the thousandth time.

"Just a headache, hon. I'll be fine." Gypsy told him, shooting him a small smile. He was so warm compared to Loki and she loved it. She snuggled against him, her eyes drifting shut as his warmth made her sleepy.

"Did you just call me 'hon?'" Steve asked, chuckling slightly.

Gypsy nodded a bit. "Now shut up so I can sleep. You're chest is better than a freakin' pillow." She mumbled. Steve chuckled and started playing with her hair languidly, staring up at the TV as he did. What was this movie called again? Sword in the Stone? It didn't matter. Steve was too happy in that moment with Gypsy to really care.

Of course the moment had to be ruined by Tony walking up from the lab. His eyes immediately fell on his daughter and the super soldier on the couch and a dangerous light entered his eyes. "Rogers I think it's about time me and you had that chat." He told the soldier, the tone in his voice suggesting that if Steve argued he was going to punch him. "Gypsy do you mind?" Tony asked his daughter but using the exact same tone.

Gypsy opened her eyes and stared at her dad sleepily, angrily. "I'm trying to sleep dad." She told him.

"Soldiers are not pillows Gypsy." Tony told her.

Gypsy rolled her eyes but got up, yawning as she did. "Fine, but you owe me a nap." She told him, pointing a tired finger at him. Tony smirked a little and nodded. "I need to replace my truck's oil and check the internet for a James Bond car anyways." She said. Tony gave her a slightly grateful look that quickly turned to annoyance when his daughter leaned down and placed a kiss on Steve's lips. "Don't die." Gypsy ordered her boy playfully before marching outside to fix her precious truck.

Steve watched her go regretfully, feeling a tad annoyed with Tony for ruining the happy moment. He had to remind himself that his teammate was the dad of his girlfriend once more. Why was it so hard to remember that? Oh yeah cause Tony loved to annoy Steve for hours on end and it made him mad. Gypsy was nothing like that. She teased him, poked his sore spots sometimes, but that was it. "So is this going to turn into a shouting match or are we actually going to 'chat' for once?" Steve asked, turning back to Tony.

Tony glared slightly at Steve as he made his way over to a chair and plopped down. "Whatever works for you Spangles." He said, grumbling slightly.

"She won't like us fighting." Steve pointed out to the other man.

"Yeah I know Cap. I think I know how my own daughter will react to me getting into a shouting match with her _boyfriend_." Tony said. He practically had to force out the word. It had been a long time since Tony and Steve initially met but they still hadn't worked out all their problems. Gypsy getting kidnapped, the huuuge fighting match between them, them lying about their relationship to Tony. It had just made the extremely difficult friendship between the two even harder. "So she wouldn't let you tell me?" Tony asked, trying not to sound mad.

"She begged me no to tell you. It was right after we got her back and she was still crying. I couldn't tell her no." Steve admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Tony grunted slightly. He had hoped Steve would tell him something he could get mad at but no, Tony wasn't that lucky. There was no way Tony could have refused Gypsy anything while she was crying and if Steve really did care about his daughter he'd definitely be the same way. "Do I even have to give you the 'talk' Captain Virgin?" He asked.

Steve glared at Tony. "Don't call me that." He said angrily.

"Hey right now I'm considering it a good thing." Tony told him, a small amused smirk on his face. "You're with my daughter after all and if I heard you'd done that with her before she was married I'd kick your ass." He said almost cheerfully. He was taking a page out of Pepper's book, threatening while not appearing threatening.

"I wouldn't try anything on her Tony. You know how I feel about that sort of thing." Steve said calmly.

Tony nodded, actually looking grateful. For once in his life he was not going to tease the Captain about his old fashioned morals and virginity thing. He grudgingly admitted, though only to himself, that Steve was actually probably one of the best guys for his daughter to date. Tony _knew_ the Captain wouldn't try anything. "Rogers, if you hurt my daughter I'll kill you. Got it? I know I've already said it but I mean it. If my daughter gets hurt one more time because of you you'll be six feet under." Tony said, staring the Captain dead in the eye.

Steve stared back, his gaze unwavering. "I understand." He said coolly. Tony gave him a suspicious look, Steve didn't usually respond that calmly when Tony pissed him off. Of course if the slight glare on the soldier's face was any indication Tony would be shouting very soon. "Tony, stop bringing up Gypsy getting taken. I know it was my fault and I know every problem she might be having because of her getting taken is my fault. Okay? I know that. I hate myself for it. So stop bringing it up." Steve said furiously.

"I'll bring it up if I damn well want to." Tony said furiously, glaring at the soldier.

Steve opened his mouth to say something but he was quickly cut off by the deadly Russian redhead leaping over the side of the staircase banister and landing in the living room. "Alright, I'm cutting in before you two get into yet another fight." Natasha said, giving them both pointed looks. Neither one said anything as they looked away, both making sure not to meet the other's angry gaze. "You know if Gypsy heard you she'd chew both of you out. I'd bet you a house she'd be pissed." The Russian said as she started practically strutting to the kitchen. Once again neither one said anything. "Hey Steve if I make tea will you drink some? I don't want to make it if no one's going to drink it." Natasha said as she walked, changing the subject.

"Yeah Nat, I'll drink some. Gypsy will too, she loves your tea." Steve told her. He noticed the smile that appeared on the Russian's face when he said that and he smiled. Gypsy really was a great girl. She had even gotten the deadly redhead to love her.

"Why were you watching a Disney movie?" Tony asked curiously, staring up at the movie on the TV.

Steve turned his attention back to Tony and the movie, smiling slightly. "Gypsy said she had a thing for old movies and she thought I might like to watch something old fashioned, something not made in this century." He said, obvious affection in his voice as he talked about Gypsy.

Tony let out an annoyed groan. "Dammit Rogers! Why can't you be like a normal guy so I can kick your ass?" He complained in a whiney voice. Steve chuckled softly and stared up at the TV, thinking he would take some tea out to his mechanic girlfriend once it was done.


	8. Another Apperance

Gypsy wiped sweat off her forehead, smearing grease across it like an idiot. When she'd come out to change the oil on her truck she'd found at least five different problems that needed attention first. Like the brakes. Dammit she knew the breaks were always acting up but she didn't know they were failing. She really hadn't had a chance to fix it in a while and she cursed herself for not finding time to fix one of her babies. Ugh it was so freaking hot. What the hell? Didn't this place know it was nearly Fall?

Cursing, Gypsy looked around for a drink. She needed something to cool her down especially if she was going to start replacing the spark plugs. For some reason she really hated doing that. More than replacing the car battery which she had to do. She also had to replace the tires, they were pretty warn down. Gypsy groaned and sat down on the ground, resting her head on her truck's door. She was lucky as hell she'd been wearing shorts and an old grey muscle shirt she'd stolen from her Steve. He didn't mind her ruining his shirts. He actually liked seeing her in his clothes for some reason or other so a little grease? Some dirt? A bit of sweat? Yeah he didn't really care about that.

"You look tired." Steve said as he walked over. Gypsy glanced over and saw the front door standing wide open, letting in the hot air. She wondered if it was cool in her room. Once she finished up on her truck she was going to take a wicked cold shower, ask Jarvis to practically freeze her room, and pass the heck out. "And thirsty." Steve added, offering her a glass of ice tea.

"Oh God Steve I love you!" Gypsy said, swiping the tea from him. She downed the whole thin in seconds while Steve stood there looking stunned. They'd never said that to each other, not yet anyway. Steve quickly hid his surprise though as Gypsy licked her lips and looked sadly into the now empty glass, thinking she was probably just saying it jokingly. "Tell Natasha I love her too. She made the tea right?" Gypsy said, looking up at her super soldier boyfriend.

Steve nodded and sat down beside Gypsy on the hot driveway. He wondered why she wasn't working in the garage before he remembered a little tidbit she had told him about being a self trained mechanic. She liked working beneath the sun no matter the weather. Of course she hadn't been referring to Malibu weather when she said that. "I'll tell her, don't worry. You sure you're not getting heatstroke out here?" He asked teasingly though there was a serious tone to his voice.

Gypsy rolled her eyes and fished an ice cube out of the glass. "I can handle a bit of heat Steve." She assured him before pressing the ice cube to the back of her neck. It felt awesome. Gypsy sighed happily as the ice melted and the cold water ran down her back. It was a nice chill...like Loki's. He'd actually probably be able to cool her down if he was there. Gypsy shook her head, hating herself for thinking about him. "I just need to rest a minute or two and drink some more cold fluids. My dam truck's a piece of shi-"

"Gypsy." Steve cut her off warningly, giving her a look. It was that authoritative look that Gypsy couldn't bring herself to admit she loved. He looked really hot with that look on his face.

"Aw Steve, let me cuss just this once." Gypsy jokingly begged him, smiling stupidly at him. Gypsy silently complained about how sappy he made her but eh. Who cared? She was actually happy with a guy and she wasn't going to screw that up.

"No, Gypsy. You know I don't like swearing." Steve told her.

Gypsy rolled her eyes before putting on a big sweet smile. "Well you can't stop me from thinking them." She told him before letting loose a gigantic explosion of cuss words in her head, a huge triumphant wild grin spreading across her face as she did.

Steve shook his head but grinned at her. "I have a feeling you should be cleansed by a priest for that one." He said jokingly.

Gypsy shrugged, still grinning away. "Probably." She told him. Steve chuckled at her and watched a bit sadly as she stood up. "I'm actually sad to say this but I really got to fix my truck. This thing means more to me than my music and that's saying a whole helluva lot so I got to fix it." Gypsy said somewhat regretfully.

"Alright Gypsy but I'm coming back out in thirty minutes with another drink for you." Steve told her, getting up.

Gypsy managed to land a kiss on his lips before he straightened up fully. "Thanks hon." She told him before gently pressing her glass into his hand. Steve smiled at her as she went back to work, cursing quietly as she looked at all the things she had to fix, as if he couldn't hear her.

It wasn't five minutes after Steve walked back into the house that Loki appeared. Gypsy jumped slightly at his sudden appearance but she wasn't exactly surprised to see him. Of course he'd do this. It was so like him. Gypsy knew it was just an image he was projecting into her head but she still glared at him, knowing if any of the others saw her they'd ask if she was insane. "Hello Gypsy." Loki purred, smiling at her.

"So you're going to bother me during the day now? Make me look insane cause I'm talking to thin air?" Gypsy grumbled, making sure her back was to the house and no one could see her lips move. She looked around for her wrench when she spotted a loose head bolt. Loki pointed to it on the ground and Gypsy quickly retrieved it. Loki took her distraction as a chance to walk over and run his fingers up the back of her neck. It felt like a breeze and she sighed as it made the still cold water on her back even colder.

"Not completely thin air Gypsy. I can still do some tricks." Loki told her. Gypsy shot him a glare before walking back over to her truck, the wrench clinched tightly in her hand. She started tightening the bolt while Loki watched her. "And unfortunately I won't be able to do this too often. Your mind wanders quickly Gypsy and you need to be focused for me to easily project my image in your head." He told her.

Gypsy chuckled a little then grunted as the stupid bolt wouldn't twist the last bit of the way. "So I'm focused right now?" She asked, panting slightly. With a snarl Gypsy managed to twist the bolt the rest of the way and she grinned triumphantly at the piece of metal.

Loki nodded absently. "Surprisingly. You take playing with these Midgardian mechanical beasts very seriously." He said, his eyes sweeping over the inner mechanisms of her pathetic truck.

"You should have seen him when I first got him. Beautiful, just beautiful. Paint job was all new and the engine purred like a kitten." Gypsy said, exaggerating quite a bit. She shot Loki a playful smile, knowing he knew she was lying.

"The paint was shoddy at best and the engine gurgled like a dying beast." Loki said, remembering Gypsy's memory of buying the truck.

Gypsy smiled ruefully and patted her truck lovingly. "Yeah, my baby never really did see better days." She said almost bitterly. Gypsy patted her baby again before going back to work, humming Highway to Hell as she did.

Loki stared at the truck like it was a monster. "Why do you refer to it with such affection? And why is it a he?" Loki asked, sounding curious.

"You know why I love him." Gypsy said absently as she stared at the spark plugs she was debating getting her dad's help with. "He was my savior more times than I can count. He got me out of that hellhole and away from that asshole. He got me here." She said, affectionately staring at the beat up engine. "As for why my baby's a 'he' well that's easy to explain. He's too dirty, too beat up, too rugged to be a girl. That's why the four wheeler's a boy too and the motorcycle's a girl." Gypsy explained.

Loki smiled and Gypsy's insides twisted. It was that mischievous smile that she'd come to associate with negativity. He'd smiled like that so many times while she was his prisoner. He'd smiled like that while he attacked D.C. Gypsy looked away from him quickly, hating that smile. "You speak of them as if they were people." Loki said. Gypsy didn't reply, choosing to wipe the grease off her wrench instead. Loki's smile grew. "But that's not right is it? After all, you prefer vehicles to people. You have a soft spot for them." He practically purred.

Gypsy looked up, an intense fire in her eyes. Loki felt pleased by her anger. He had found it so entertaining when she was his prisoner and it always made that hunger inside him stir rather nicely. "Bring up that again and I'll hit you with my wrench." She told him, gripping her wrench tightly.

"Did I anger you _Gypsy_?" Loki asked. He chuckled softly when he saw the fire in her eyes grow at the way he relished her name.

"Hell yeah you angered me. Get the hell out of here." Gypsy said furiously, waving her wrench like Thor waved Mjolnir did when he was mad.

The similarity between her movement and Thor's did not escape Loki but he decided to ignore it for now. He did not want to bring up his brother or his imprisonment. He knew Gypsy all too well and he knew she would be eager to play with his own head, to find out just how angry he was in his predicament. "You don't want me to go." He told her.

Gypsy growled softly at how damn sure he sounded. "Yes I do. _Leave_." She hissed at him.

Before Loki could reply the front door opened, revealing the super soldier Gypsy adored. He was holding another glass of tea and carrying three different water bottles, all of which Loki knew was for Gypsy. He watched as the super soldier walked over to the girl and he watched as the two smiled at each other like love struck idiots.

"It's been thirty minutes already? Seriously?" Gypsy asked. She had a skeptical look on her face but she was still smiling which meant she really didn't mind the soldier coming out early. Loki growled softly and he saw the slight wince Gypsy did when she heard him.

"No but I needed to get out of there. Your dad is subtly giving me death threats." The soldier told her which made her laugh. Loki felt her focus dwindling and he frowned, putting a little more energy into keeping the projection of himself there. The soldier placed the tea and water bottles down near Gypsy's tool box before wrapping his arms around the girl's waist. Gypsy eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling almost blissfully. She would have been happier but she could feel Loki's anger buzzing in her head, giving her a headache. "Besides, I like being with you." The soldier said, sounding completely and utterly sincere.

"Well I am a pretty amazing person." Gypsy said cheerfully.

"That you are." The soldier said, smiling at her.

Loki rolled his eyes. "You cannot truly find this banter entertaining." He said, giving Gypsy an annoyed look. She ignored him though and he knew her plan. For some reason the soldier was capable of driving all thoughts of himself from her mind. Loki hated it of course but there was no way he could stop her mind from doing what it wanted. She was too stubborn for that. "I do not understand how you can find his company more agreeable than my own. He is weak, _pathetic_. He couldn't protect you from me and he will fail you time and time again." Loki told her, watching her expression carefully.

Gypsy ignored Loki as best as she could but it was difficult. Insanely difficult. "Well don't worry about my dad. He's just being protective. Just imagine if Bruce was my dad, you'd probably have gotten more than just a glimpse of the Hulk." Gypsy told her boyfriend cheerfully.

Steve shuddered a bit though it was on purpose. "Oh God I'd be dead." He said, chuckling slightly.

Gypsy smiled again. "So I was thinking since our movie got interrupted we could watch one in my room tonight." She said.

"Don't even think about is Gypsy." Loki growled.

"So long as your dad doesn't know. Gypsy I really don't want to get killed." Steve told her.

Gypsy smiled and stood on her tiptoes, placing her face barely an inch from his. "Don't worry about that hon." She said sweetly. "I'll protect you." She said teasingly. Steve chuckled before leaning in and kissing her.

Loki felt his blood boil and without thinking did a spell that shoved the couple apart. Both of them gasped in shock as they stumbled to regain their balance. Gypsy glanced over at Loki, venom in her eyes, before turning back to a stunned Steve. "What just happened?" The super soldier asked in stunned confusion.

"I don't know." Gypsy lied, sounding believably confused and surprised.

Steve looked around, as if he expected to find the source of the strange disturbance. Gypsy took her chance to shoot a vicious glare at Loki. "We should get inside." Steve said, turning back to look at Gypsy who quickly threw back on a mask. "You can fix your truck later." He told her.

Gypsy nodded quickly. "Yeah, okay Steve. Uh will you take my tea inside while I pack everything up?" She asked him. Steve looked like he didn't want to go but she gave him a reassuring smile. "Steve, hon, I'll be fine. Okay? It won't take me more than ten minutes, plenty of time for you to explain to them that I'm coming in because I want to work on the truck with dad tomorrow." Gypsy said, easily thinking up a perfect lie.

Steve nodded and picked up the glass of tea. "Alright Gypsy but if you're not inside in ten minutes I'm coming back out here." He told her.

Gypsy smiled lovingly at her soldier as he turned to walk away. "Yes Captain." She said, earning a small chuckle and a smile shot over his shoulder. She watched him with affection as he walked inside and waited till the front door closed before turning viciously to Loki. "What the hell was that?" She practically growled at him.

"Do not act so surprised." Loki snapped at her. "I told you I do not like your little relationship with the soldier." He said furiously.

"So you interrupt what could have turned into an awesome freaking make out session?" Gypsy asked, just as furious. Loki growled and took a threatening step towards her. Gypsy realized her mistake but it didn't make her step down. "How the hell did you do that anyways? I thought your magic was crippled." She asked angrily.

"It is but emotions are a rather useful energy source." Loki admitted. He glared at her as he saw understanding in her eyes and a small almost pleased smirk appear on her face. She thought his jealousy was amusing. "Do not test my anger Gypsy Stark. Even weakened I could still kill that pathetic soldier if I wished. All it would take is a simple push and I could make you kill him." Loki growled.

Gypsy couldn't contain her anger then. She launched herself at him, planning to attack him, but sailed right through him. She landed on all fours on the driveway and cursed loudly as she got scrapped up badly. She growled and got up, turning as she did to look at Loki. But he was gone. Gypsy stared at where he'd been, anger coursing through her. She wanted nothing more than to piss him off as much as possible but what if he actually meant what he said? What if he really could control her? Make her kill Steve? Gypsy started putting her tools away, shaking in fury as she did. She wasn't going to push Steve away, she loved him too much to break his heart like that, but she swore that if Loki was standing there she wasn't going to be too affectionate. She wasn't going to let Loki hurt Steve.

**I apologize greatly for my lack of writing. School started up again and today I received five assignments in four different classes, three of those are essay papers. I will try, try, try to write more and get it up on here but I won't promise anything.**


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